Double Hearted Help
by Complicated-little-Jellie
Summary: "Hey," he interrupted, stepping forward with a smile and pulling the two into an embrace. "I will always have the time for you, Amelia Pond. And of course, your baby too." - With Rory away, Amy needs just a little help from her baby-speaking Time Lord best friend.


_Just another random oneshot that popped into my head. Kind of AU, I guess. Set around the time of 'The Power of Three' but Amy and Rory have a baby. Hey, they don't call it fanfiction for nothing! Also possibly OC, but I could almost imagine this as cannon if some things hadn't happened ... Anyways, enjoy and don't forget to review! _

_Disclaimer: All recognisable references are property of the BBC. _

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The Doctor had only been back in his TARDIS for five minutes when his phone rang. He still couldn't quite decide if he liked having a phone, though admittedly it had come in quite handy.

"Hello?" He said, disgruntled. Honestly, he'd spent his day being chased by slitheen, could he not have one moment –

"Doctor?" He could recognize that Scottish accent anywhere.

"Amelia Pond!" He exclaimed, smiling, "What can I do for you? How long has it been since you last saw me, this time thing can make it awfully confusing sometimes –"

"It's been twenty minutes, but I need your help." She sounded tired, almost snuffling, he noted absentmindedly; it wasn't often that Pond sounded this way.

"Ah, what's wrong?" He asked, leaning against the console of his beloved ship.

"Oscar." She said, and then held the phone out for him to hear the screams of her four-month-old baby.

"I'll be there in under a minute," he promised, putting down the phone and parking his TARDIS in Amy's front room, having already set the location but needing the okay. He leapt out of his door, to see Amy by her window, trying to rock her son to sleep.

She even looked more tired than he remembered. His ginger haired best friend turned round and managed a smile that didn't quite meet her red-rimmed eyes. "Doctor, Rory's doing a double shift and I'm so tired and Oscar won't stop crying and I don't know what to do." She rambled, tears coming to her eyes. "I've tried everything, but he won't sleep. I just thought that maybe you could help me. I know it's boring and –"

"Hey," he interrupted, stepping forward with a smile and pulling the two into an embrace. "I will always have the time for you, Amelia Pond. And of course, your baby too." He gave her his best smile that made her relax.

"Raggedy man." She whispered, a smile gracing her lips instead.

"There you go!" He exclaimed, stepping back. He put his hands out for the still crying Oscar. Trusting him completely, Amy handed her son over to him, watching in something close to amazement as he expertly tucked Oscar into his arms, a sparkle in his eyes.

"Right, I'll look after Oscar, you go have a bath and then go to bed. Doctor's orders." He instructed, still smiling. Mutely, she nodded and went up the stairs.

The Doctor went into the conservatory and sat in the rocking chair he'd bought them as a baby shower gift. One of the gifts, anyway. He settled Oscar so the baby's ear was against his chest. For some reason, babies loved the sound of both his hearts beating; it worked every time, with Stormageddon, with Melody, with every child he'd ever been entrusted with. Time Lord children did like it, he remembered that, but human children seemed completely enchanted with the sound.

He hadn't told Amy this (Rory might get upset), but this sound was what Oscar had wanted. Him, the sound of his hearts, it was what Oscar had wanted to fall asleep to. He was a pedantic baby, stubborn too. They would have to have words about that in the morning.

Soon enough the child of his best friends fell asleep, but The Doctor was more than content in letting him sleep on him for a while. He had the stars to look at, as well as the beautiful sound of the baby's breathing to listen to. And just the beautiful baby to adore. The button nose and tufts of dark red hair, so like his parents and already his own person.

When the clock struck 12, he took the little human boy up the stairs to the nursery he'd helped Amy and Rory paint. Once Oscar was settled and fast asleep, he put on the baby monitor and paired it with his sonic so he didn't have to carry around the bulky other thing.

Next, he crept into Amy's room. She was fast asleep, sprawled on her bed upon the covers, not having bothered actually getting under it. At least she'd had the forethought to get out of her towel and into a nightie. Gently, he scooped her up and peeled back the covers, tucking her in like a child. Like he had the night he'd carried her in from the garden. The first night she'd spent waiting. The first night she'd waited, which should have been the very last.

His friend didn't even stir because she was so tired. He really was going to have serious conversation with Oscar. He placed a chaste kiss to her forehead and went downstairs.

When Amy stumbled down the stairs the next morning, she had to rub her eyes twice in disbelief before she could comprehend what she was seeing. Her house had been messy for, well about four months, and it literally sparkled. All the shoes had been cleaned and lined up, the coats hanging perfectly and the floor mopped. Even the picture frames had been dusted. Entering the kitchen proved an even more incredulous event; the Doctor stood preparing fresh fruit, Oscar strapped to his front with the carrier, wide awake and making gurgling sounds. The Doctor hadn't heard her, because he was too busy talking with her newborn son.

"Morning!" She exclaimed, walking in and over to the Doctor, firstly to kiss her son and then to peck the cheek of her alien friend.

"Good morning Amelia. I hope you don't mind, I ended up doing a bit of cleaning and cooking. Oh, I restocked the fridge; Oscar loves Tesco's! Your TV's been updated and I sorted out your garden, let me tell you those plants were not happy." He rambled, continued to cut an array of fruits into a bowl.

She smiled, ''I know you don't sleep much, but did he keep you up? I'm sorry if he did, god knows he keeps me up."

"No, he slept through. He was up at 5 since he's not used to sleeping that much, but we've had a conversation about what he can do until you come and get him. Smart, this one!" He exclaimed, mixing honey and muesli into the fruit dish.

Speechless, Amy sat down at the table, handed a coffee and a large dish full of what the Doctor had just prepared. It looked delicious. After taking a mouthful, she said; "He wouldn't shut up last night, how in the heavens did you get him to sleep the night?" She'd barely slept for four months; as much as she wanted to know best, she needed these tips.

He smiled, "Yeah, he wasn't that talkative last night, but he likes the sound of my hearts. Human children love the whole double heart thing," he grinned, washing up the equipment he used. The first thought that came to Amy's mind was that if he wasn't a time travelling Time Lord, he would make an excellent au pair.

But her heart sunk that it was the Doctor's heartbeat her son liked, for he couldn't stick around just to help him. "Ah," she replied.

"But don't worry, Pond! I took the liberty of buying an iPod," he whisked it out of one of his pockets, "And synced it with the most calming sounds of the universe, a playlist if you like. And I recorded my heartbeat, which you can put on loop and, well you probably know how to use one," He said, sliding it across the table to her.

She grinned, relieved: "Thank you Doctor, for all of this," she stared around the room in wonder, and at her happy child.

Suddenly the front door swung open and Rory walked into the kitchen, hair ruffled and looking tired. He faltered upon seeing the Doctor, but it wasn't unusual to see him jumping in every now and again. Nodding to his alien friend, Rory kissed Amy's cheek and then the head of his son.

The man faltered again. "Hold on," he spun around to face Amy, "You look like you've slept, and Oscar isn't crying. What is going on? Is he ill or something?" Rory turned back to his son in something that was almost concern.

Comically, the Doctor covered Oscar's ears. "You ignore them, Captain, don't listen to Daddy." He stage whispered to Rory; "He's feeling a bit sensitive with you right now because you seem stressed around him and he doesn't like it." The Doctor laughed in wonder at Rory's face.

"Of course, I'd almost forgotten you speak baby." He sighed, taking the seat next to Amy and grunting thanks when the Doctor slid a coffee cup into his hand. "Hold on, did you call Oscar 'Captain'?" Rory asked incredulously.

In return, the doctor just nodded sincerely; "It's what he calls himself," at the Ponds' baffled expressions of concern he continued, "Oh, it's nothing to worry about, I've met plenty of babies who nickname themselves. Anyway, he'll get used to Oscar soon enough, it's already growing on him … though he doesn't seem keen on his middle name. Brian, really?" At the look of mortification on the Doctor's face, Rory defend his father's name.

"Ah, you hear that Captain? It's Granddad Brian's name, that means you can't complain."

Oscar gurgled and the Doctor laughed. "Nah, I guess you can until you speak English. I'd start trying that soon, my man, the sooner you can communicate with your parents the easier your life will be."

Rory and Amy laughed in unison at their friends' antics, relaxed for the first time in ages to not have the responsibility of their son, just for that moment. Surprisingly, parenthood was far harder to adjust to than either of them could ever had imagined. Even the Doctor seemed better suited to it than them, a topic that seemed both relevant and important but at the same time something of a taboo subject; they both remembered Demon's Run and his outright aim of never talking about his comfort around children.

Amy wanted to ask again, but she knew it would make him run away. It was an awfully bad habit of his.

Nonetheless, the four settled into a comfortable silence as Rory and Amy ate, the Doctor dancing round the room like he was piloting his TARDIS. It was broken by a whimper of Oscar's. Everybody stilled, Amy ready to take her baby, when the Doctor started talking to him.

"Good choice, Captain," he murmured, unclipping the carrier and handing Oscar to Amy.

"What did he say?" Amy asked, remaining standing.

The Doctor smiled; "He said, he wants Daddy," he spun to face Rory, stage whispering; "that's you, by the way, to change his nappy and then he wants a cuddle from Mummy, not me!" Anybody else would have sounded unhappy that the baby didn't want them, but the Doctor just sounded relieved.

Rory rolled his eyes, taking his son gently and cooing at him all the way up the stairs. Amy spun to the Doctor, who began speaking as he sat down next to her. "Oscar and I had a chat about not being so picky and he's agreed to cut you guys some slack. Lovely kid, by the way. Not a fan of TV, though: can't wrap his head round it."

Unable to help herself, Amy laughed. He smiled with her, for once enjoying not being in a life/death situation. Suddenly, the TARDIS made a wheezing sound from the garden and the Doctor jumped up in surprise.

"Ah, I need to go and fix that!" He exclaimed, running to the lounge to find his tweed jacket. Rory came down the stairs just as the Time Lord ran back into the kitchen.

"Ponds!" He said as a farewell, running out the French doors. They moved to stand at the frame.

"Come back soon, Doctor! And thank you!" Amy shouted after him. After unlocking his ship, he turned to them with a smile.

"Call me!" His shout was one of glee with a grin to match, but the TARDIS began making funny sounds again and he ran inside.

From Amy's arms, Oscar gurgled happily.


End file.
